Sparrowsong's Story
by Melanie Preston
Summary: Sparrowpaw is a RiverClan apprentice who's training was delayed due to illness. She is a warrior apprentice, but many in the Clan believe she should have been the medicine cat apprentice. While she believes in StarClan, she wants nothing to do with them beyond her belief. You'll see why later on in the story. Enjoy!
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

* * *

**RiverClan**

**Leader:**

Pebblestar - small gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Deputy:**

Stormfoot - large dark gray tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice - Fallowpaw_

**Medicine Cat:**

Bramblemist - thin brown-and-black tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes

_Apprentice - Mallowpaw_

**Warriors:**

Otterfrost - brown-and-white tom

Troutheart - silvery tom with amber eyes

Salmontail - reddish brown she-cat with blue eyes

_Apprentice - Sparrowpaw_

Owlclaw - dark brown tom

Lilyleap - white she-cat with green eyes

Rainpelt - dark gray she-cat

Hailfoot - pale gray tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice - Nightpaw_

**Apprentices:**

Nightpaw - black tom with blue eyes

Sparrowpaw - brown-and-white tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Mallowpaw - pale gray she-cat with green eyes

Fallowpaw - light brown she-cat

**Queens:**

Featherstream - long-furred silver-and-white she-cat

Whitewing - white she-cat with one amber and one blue eye; deaf in one ear

**Elders:**

Mudheart - very old dark brown tom

* * *

**WindClan**

**Leader:**

Rabbitstar - light brown tom with white paws

**Deputy:**

Heatherstep - mottled she-cat

**Medicine Cat:**

Snowfoot - black-and-white tom with amber eyes

**Warriors:**

Kestrelheart - brown tabby she-cat

Berryfoot - small brown-and-white tom

Poppystep - brown she-cat with black specks

_Apprentice - Reedpaw_

Mousewhisker - mottled brown tom

Crowfoot - dark gray, almost black tom

Bluestorm - gray she-cat

_Apprentice - Cloudpaw_

**Apprentices:**

Reedpaw - brown tom

Cloudpaw - white-and-gray tom

**Queens:**

Nightleap - long legged black she-cat

Echoheart - pretty brown-and-white spotted she-cat

Thistlefur - tortoise shell-and-white she-cat

**Elders:**

Brackencloud - light brown mottled she-cat with white spots

Foxstep - russet tom with amber eyes

* * *

**ThunderClan**

**Leader:**

Hawkstar - brown tabby tom

_Apprentice - Tawnypaw_

**Deputy:**

Sedgeheart - black-and-brown tabby tom

**Medicine Cat:**

Yarrowfoot - long-furred dark gray tom

_Apprentice - Moonpaw_

**Warriors:**

Redfall - large reddish brown she-cat

Robinflight - russet-and-black tom with amber eyes

Larkwing - long-furred tortoiseshell she-cat

_Apprentice - Adderpaw_

Dapplenose - white-and-brown mottled she-cat

Rosewhisker - pretty white she-cat

Badgerheart - black-and-white tom

**Apprentices:**

Tawnypaw - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Adderpaw - brown tabby tom

Moonpaw - pale gray, almost white tom

**Queens:**

Feathersong - light gray tabby she-cat

**Elders:**

Smallfoot - little white tom

Tigerleap - once muscular tabby tom

* * *

**ShadowClan**

**Leader:**

Hollystar - dark gray she-cat with white paws

**Deputy:**

Lizardtail - lithe black-and-white tom

**Medicine Cat:**

Blacknose - little black she-cat

**Warriors:**

Raggedtooth - shaggy dark gray tom

_Apprentice - Owlpaw_

Cedarfall - dark gray tom with amber eyes

_Apprentice - Littlepaw_

Cloudfeather - light gray she-cat

Darkpool - very dark gray tom with blue eyes

Pinefur - black-and-brown tabby tom

_Apprentice - Mudpaw_

Nightwish - pretty black she-cat

**Apprentice:**

Owlpaw - brown tabby tom

Mudpaw - dark brown she-cat

Littlepaw - small white tom

**Queens:**

Echofrost - pale brown she-cat with white paws

**Elders:**

Oakfoot - once powerful brown tabby tom

Birdwing - very old light brown she-cat


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

I was born as one might expect. A typical nursery in a typical Clan on a typical day. Except it wasn't a typical birth. My mother, Lilyleap, nearly died having me. She fell ill just days before my brother and I were born. Minnowkit, my brother, didn't make it. He was already in StarClan by the time he came into the world. I barely made it out myself. When I did, Bramblemist said I was very sick like my mother. I had to stay in the medicine den with her for a long time.

I'm actually older than most apprentices. It took a long time for me to regain my strength. I slept a lot, which worried Bramblemist. But it was how I slept that worried her. I had vivid dreams. Nightmares, really. She said I moaned in my sleep, and even called for help. Some of those dreams still haunt me. One of them even returns every now and then, but I'll get to that later.

My name is Sparrowpaw. I'm the daughter of Otterfrost and Lilyleap. My home is RiverClan, one of the four Clans who occupy this land. This is my story.


	3. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

Thick fog blocked my vision. I couldn't see past the end of my muzzle. Voices floated in the air, whispering unknown words in my ears. I strained to make out what they were saying, but there were too many of them. I tasted the air over and over again, each time a different scent crossing my tongue. Panic rose in my belly, and my heart began to pound. Suddenly, all I could do was run. I raced across the uneven earth beneath me, tripping over pebbles and roots, my paws burning. I thought I might be out of the fog when I reached a cliff all too soon, and fell over the edge.

I woke with a start in my nest, a scream still in my throat, but not quite voiced. Blinking in the late morning sunlight, I hauled myself from my nest, surprised to find myself stiff and sore. A faint burning sensation still lingered on my paws, but I chose to ignore it. There were other things to worry about.

It was the first day of my apprentice training. I was still in the medicine den with Bramblemist, so the scent of herbs was always on my fur. My mother went back to her warrior duties as soon as she had the strenth to. Frankly, I felt abandoned. It was as if she never had hope for me. Her and I were never really close, though, so feeling sorry for myself should've been out of the question.

I stood and shook the moss from my pelt, grateful to finally be done with sleeping in the medicine den. The nests were always terribly made, so thorns were constantly pricking at my skin while I slept. Thinking back on it, they were probably the reason I never got decent sleep. The sound of distracted murmuring pulled me from my thoughts, though. Curious, I padded to Bramblemist's den and peered inside. I suppose I should have guessed what she was doing. Whenever Bramblemist made a list of what she needed before she went to find herbs, she always went through her entire supply and talked to herself while doing so. It got annoying pretty quickly, especially when she did it in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep.

Shaking my head, I took a step inside the den after clearing my throat maybe a bit too obnoxiously. She looked startled when I finally caught her attention.

"Oh, Sparrowkit. You're awake."

Sparrowkit. Please. She refused to call me by 'paw' even though I was plenty old enough to go by that instead. All because of the code, I guess. I brushed it off, though. Correcting her again was the last thing I wanted to do that day. "Look, Bramblemist," I said, maybe a tad cautiously, "Today's the day of my apprentice ceremony. I know you've been busy with your herbs, but maybe... Well, maybe you could come watch? You've been more of a mother to me than Lilyleap. I'd really appreciate it if you took a break to come and watch."

And there it was. The look that I knew meant that she was barely listening. Not surprising, though. No cat ever listened to me back then. She just glanced at me briefly and nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll do that."

"Okay, Bramblemist. You do that." I turned and walked out, trying my best not to seem pissed off. What I told her wasn't a lie. I truly wanted her to be there. But if she was going to just be distracted by her own thoughts the entire time, then what was the point of her even showing up at all. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I would need my wits about me for the ceremony. That medicine cat didn't have a place in my thoughts most of the time anyway. She wasn't about to have a spot because I got my hopes up.

Padding into the clearing, I found most cats had already gathered around the willow tree that took over the middle of our camp. I scanned the group carefully. Mallowpaw and Fallowpaw were sitting beside each other, which wasn't shocking. Those two were inseperable. Next to them was Featherstream, her belly round with the kits she was bound to have at a moment's notice. Her mate, Heronclaw, had died in the last big fight over Sunning Rocks between us and ThunderClan. To me, though, she never seemed to let it get to her. She always was a peppy she-cat.

Murmuring amongst themselves were Rainpelt, Hailfoot, and Owlclaw. They never paid much attention to me, so I never had any reason to befriend them. Owlclaw, it seemed, tended to be a bit shifty in all of his movements. He was kind of a shady cat, but I guess ever Clan had one. Hailfoot and Rainpelt, though, I thought were decent cats. They never did anything wrong, and never questioned Pebblestar's judgement. The only thing they ever did that was worth looking into was following Owlclaw around like a couple of lost kits.

I knew Stormfoot would be in Pebblestar's den speaking with her before my ceremony, so I went looking for my father instead. If there was anycat I could always go to with my troubles, it was my dad. Otterfrost had his heart in the right place. If he could help it, he'd fix everything wrong with the world. He'd solve everycat's problems and bring peace to the Clans. He never killed anycat in battle, and only inflicted injury when he needed to. My father was a trustworthy cat, which was why I went to him for advice.

I found him where I thought I would, by the elder's den speaking with Mudheart. Though the age gap between them was anything but close, the two always got along, even when Otterfrost was young. I have had a sense of admiration for my father ever since I heard the stories about him in battle and the things he did around the camp. It wasn't hard to see why the old tom was so fond of him. I trotted over and nuzzled his shoulder like I always did. It got him to purr without fail every time, but I think that's because he knew it was me doing it.

"Hello, Sparrowkit," he mewed, using kit only because Mudheart was there and because highly code-loyal cats were within earshot. "Are you excited to become an apprentice?"

"You have no idea," I told him, my tone flat. He knew I was done being cooped up in the medicine den because it made me feel useless. He knew I hated being more than old enough and not being an apprentice yet. My father knew me better than anycat. He knew everthing there was to know about me, and that's why he was my best friend.

"Don't worry, dear," Mudheart rasped. "Your time has finally come today."

I dipped my head in respect to him, grateful for, and surprised by his words of comfort. "Thank you, Mudheart. I'm glad it's happening. I want to prove myself."

Otterfrost licked the top of my head. "You've already done that by becoming an apprentice and making it," quietly, he added, "Now prove your mother wrong and be the best apprentice out there."

I smiled at that, loving that he took my side of that argument, and nodded to him. "I'll do my best, papa." Just as I was about to continue, Pebblestar's voice rang out over the Clan, catching my attention.

"The time has come for a long awaited naming ceremony," her eyes fell on me, and I shrunk in my fur. "For the first part of her life, Sparrowkit struggled with an illness that took her brother from her and her mother. She showed her true warrior strength, though, and fought through it to become an apprentice. Sparrowkit, please step forward."

I felt Otterfrost nudge me from behind, and, just a bit hesitantly, I took the heart-stopping walk to my leader to receive my new name. My heart raced, my legs shook, and my mind was flying faster than I could keep up with. This was it. I was finally getting what I desereved. Pebblestar was making me an apprentice and, honestly, I couldn't have been happier.

"Sparrowkit," she started, her eyes glued to me, burning into my pelt. "Though you have passed the age of six moons, you have finally regained your strength." I caught a glimmer of pride in my leaders eyes. Something I'd never seen before. "It is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sparrowpaw. Your mentor will be Salmontail. I hope he will pass down all he knows on to you."

Turning from me, Pebblestar faced my new mentor. "Salmontail, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You received excellent training from Stormfoot, and you have shown yourself to be wise and resourceful. You will be the mentor of Sparrowpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

I spared a glance to Salmontail, who was obviously trying to contain her excitement. I was her first apprentice, so I can imagine why she'd be so eager to get going with the training. I know I was. However, I waited to celebrate until after Pebblestar touched her nose to my forehead, as per tradition. I was already shaking, but my leader's touch sent shivers down my spine. I quietly thanked her when I got a chance, glad she hadn't given up on me, and I heard her murmur a glad reply. That was all I needed.

Then I let go. I gave in to my excitement and dashed to Otterfrost, nearly running him over. I usually didn't act that way, but that day was a day I would never forget. After I babbled and pranced around him for a few moments, I returned to Salmontail, who was babbling to Stormfoot, probably thanking him for all the advice he had given her when she was my age. She quickly turned her attention to me, though, and we were set into conversation before any time passed at all.

"I can't wait to start your training. I'm so happy Pebblestar let me be your mentor," Salmontail's words were quick and excited, her eyes bright. "What do you want to do first?"

Her excitement was enough to throw me off guard, let alone the question of questions. I hadn't ever given my training any thought. I never sat down and decided what I'd like the best, so I didn't really know how to answer her other than to say, "Just get me out of camp!"

And, just as soon as Pebblestar gave us permission, we were gone.


End file.
